Details.
What is out there, the numbers, system requirements, and every question people ask. For the players who read the whole manual.
Almost nothing out here is alive.
Most of what comes for you is hollow, and something older than the hollow ships is sending them. Kill one and two more are already being built. They do not get tired and they do not quit.
Ten zones
Space gets harder the further out you fly, across ten zones. Better ore, worse company. Each world is procedurally generated. Explore deeper and the danger rises even in places you have already visited.
The rifts
Some rifts open onto sealed arenas. Survive three to six waves and defeat the Warden for blueprints that unlock higher module classes. One visit each: enter it and it seals, win or lose, and a new rift tears open somewhere else in the same zone.
The frontier
Destroy a Foundry starbase, then spend ore to claim the wreck: it mines while you are away, grows through its own upgrade stages, and pulls raids you will have to come back for.
What comes for you
- Dronethe swarm
- Raiderthe line workhorse, and salvageable
- Breacherlatches on and chews
- Enforcera moving wall
- Stalkerthe eyes of the hunt
- Dreadnoughtbuilds its own escorts
- Wardenthe boss at the end of every rift
- Mimicit copied your ship
If you are the kind of player who reads the numbers first.
Fair enough. Here they are, read straight from the game.
The fifteen modules
Base Class I values. The core pod is never removable and never counted here.
| Module | Role | Mass | HP | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strut | light structural reach | 0.5 t | 55 | 110 HP per tonne, twice an Armor Plate |
| Armor Plate | plate armor | 4 t | 220 | ×1.8 from explosive, ×0.5 from beam |
| Shield Projector | area shield paid from energy | 2 t | 20 | covers the 3 by 3 block of slots around it, hits paid from energy |
| Shield Generator | area shield that regrows | 2 t | 20 | covers the 3 by 3 block of slots around it, from a shared pool that regrows out of combat |
| Cargo Bay | cargo, and the cheapest way to grow | 1 t | 40 | +1 cargo slot per class, 30 units each |
| Thruster | thrust and turn authority | 2 t | 35 | +260 thrust, aimed, needs the square behind it clear |
| Turret | kinetic workhorse | 2.5 t | 45 | 6 damage at 2.2 a second, 2 to 6 barrels |
| Missile Launcher | explosive armor cracker | 3 t | 40 | 16 damage homing, a 2 to 4 warhead salvo |
| Laser Cannon | continuous beam | 2.2 t | 35 | 8 damage a second, ramping to ×2.2 held, 1 to 3 emitters |
| Reactor | sustain | 4 t | 50 | +8 energy a second |
| Battery | burst | 1 t | 30 | +25 energy capacity |
| Mining Laser | extraction | 2 t | 30 | +2 ore a second |
| Repair Bay | repair under fire | 2.5 t | 35 | 0.9 HP a second for 5 energy |
| Sensor Array | radar and reach | 1.2 t | 25 | +1 scan charge, +80 m sensor range, +6 m tractor reach |
| Tractor Beam | auto collect | 1.8 t | 30 | +18 m collect radius |
The damage triangle
Each damage type has strengths and weaknesses. These multipliers show how the same hit changes against shields and armor.
| Damage type | Against a shield | Against plate armor | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kinetic | ×1.4 | ×1.0 | bare structure and shield drain |
| Explosive | ×1.0 | ×1.8 | splash into the four squares around the hit |
| Beam | ×0.5 | ×0.5 | ×1.6 into guns, reactors and batteries |
A blast never carries through a strut, so a row of struts between your armor plates is the counter, and the cheapest module in the game is the answer.
How classes scale
Class I to X is the quality of a single module, and you upgrade them one at a time. Every step above Class I comes as a blueprint, and the only place to find one is the reward the Warden guards at the end of a rift.
| Per class step | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Utility stats (unless specified separately) | ×1.45 |
| Mass | ×1.15 |
| HP | ×1.35 |
| Build cost | ×1.4 |
| Reactor recharge | ×1.30 |
Weapons use their own damage, range and energy scaling. These figures describe general module growth; power remains a constraint as you upgrade.
Death and difficulty
Two separate choices at new game, both locked for that save: what a core breach costs you, then how hard the fighting is.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Normal | The default. A core breach strips you back to the bare pod. You keep at least 70% of your cargo, and every blueprint, level and skill survives. |
| Ironman | One life, one ship. A core breach deletes the save, including everything you have learned. Permadeath, if you want it. |
| Drifter · Very easy | 0.25× incoming damage. Enemies barely scratch you. For playing to mine, build and explore. |
| Prospector · Easy | 0.5× incoming damage. Enemies hit softly while you learn the game. |
| Spacer · Normal | 1× incoming damage. The game as intended. Fair fights, honest stakes. Recommended. |
| Veteran · Hard | 1.5× incoming damage. Enemies hit harder and hunts come sooner. Staying out too long costs you. |
| Redline · Very hard | 2× incoming damage. Heavy fire. Every mistake costs a module. |
| Event Horizon · Brutal | 3× incoming damage. Built to break you. Bring your best ship, and expect to lose it. |
Difficulty only moves damage taken and how much attention you draw. Enemy hull, spawns, loot and XP never change.
Check your setup.
These are estimates for the current build, not final minimum requirements. Hardware compatibility and performance still need testing before launch. A GPU with WebGPU support and current graphics drivers is required.
- Runs fully offline
- No account
- No telemetry
- DRM-free
Windows
- OS
- Windows 10 64-bit (20H2 or later)
- CPU
- Quad-core 2.5 GHz, Core i5-6400 or Ryzen 3 1200
- Memory
- 8 GB RAM
- Graphics
- WebGPU-compatible GPU, such as GeForce GTX 900 series, Radeon RX 400 series or Intel UHD Graphics 600 series
- Storage
- 2 GB available space
macOS
- OS
- macOS 12 Monterey or later
- CPU
- Apple silicon (M1 or later) or Intel Core i5 (2018 or later)
- Memory
- 8 GB unified memory or RAM
- Graphics
- Metal-capable GPU (built in)
- Storage
- 2 GB available space
LinuxExperimental
- OS
- 64-bit x86 Linux; compatibility varies by distribution
- CPU
- Quad-core 2.5 GHz, Core i5-6400 or Ryzen 3 1200
- Memory
- 8 GB RAM
- Graphics
- Vulkan-capable GPU, current drivers
- Storage
- 2 GB available space
Linux support is experimental and has not received the same testing as Windows and macOS. The AppImage requires unprivileged user namespaces, which some distributions restrict. Compatibility is not guaranteed.
The things people ask first.
When does it come out?
No release date has been announced. The Steam page is not live yet. This website will link to it when it is available.
Is there a demo?
A free demo is planned for Steam, covering the first two ship classes and your first starbase. It is not available to download yet. Demo saves will not carry into the full game.
What does it cost?
The planned launch price is $9.95 USD. Regional prices will be shown on the Steam page.
Is it multiplayer?
No. Single-player from start to finish.
How does it play?
Top-down, on mouse and keyboard. You fly by thrust, aim with the cursor, mine with one button and shoot with the other. Build mode opens anywhere in space, so you can rebuild the ship where you are flying.
Is this a roguelike?
No. It is a sandbox and your save persists. There is an optional Ironman mode with one life if you want permadeath.
What happens when I die?
In Normal mode, you return to the starting pod. You keep your blueprints, levels, skills, boosters and at least 70% of your cargo. The rest of your ship is lost. In Ironman, a core breach deletes the save.
Is there a tutorial?
Yes. Every new game starts in a small tutorial area that teaches flying, mining, building and one fight, then opens onto the real map.
Is there base building?
Yes. Claim a derelict starbase and it mines while you are away, stores what you cannot carry, repairs your ship and grows through its own upgrade stages. It also draws raids you will have to come back for.
How long is it?
There is no ending you are required to reach, and the sandbox is open-ended. Two endings are there when you want them: the Door at the Great Rift, and the march on the Prime Foundry.
Do I need to be online?
The game runs fully offline, with no separate account or telemetry. You will need an internet connection to download it and any updates from Steam.
Is there a Linux build?
An experimental Linux AppImage is planned for release. Windows and macOS are the tested and supported platforms. Some Linux distributions block the sandbox features the game needs to start.
Does it work on Steam Deck?
Steam Deck compatibility has not been tested yet.
Controller support?
Basic gamepad support covers flight, aiming, mining, combat, menus and Build mode. Mouse and keyboard are recommended, especially for precise building.
Mods or Steam Workshop?
No. Ships travel as short text codes you can paste to anyone, but there is no mod support planned for launch.
Can I save wherever I want?
It saves on its own as you play, and you can save from the pause menu. Ironman is the one mode that will not let you take a step back.
Is it hard?
It is as hard as you set it. Six difficulty steps run from a quarter of the incoming damage to triple, and the setting also decides how fast the Foundry starts hunting you.
Something out here knows you.
There is no map that reaches this far, and no memory of how you got here. Just a core, a lot of empty dark, and the pull to grow.
Every so often, after a long stretch of quiet, a voice you have never heard finds your comms. It talks like it has been waiting for you.
“i have watched a thousand cores reach for the door. i remember every one of their names.”
“stop growing, little one. nothing good waits at the size you are reaching for.”